The Moment that got me here
by bigk4062
Summary: Johnathan Wheeler is ready to end it all.. until someone reminds him he has plenty to live for.


Yet another random YouTube binge fic. This is based off of Emerson Drive's 'Moments', about a man who is saved from a suicide attempt and Kenny Chesney's 'That's why I'm here' about someone who is asking for forgiveness after getting sober.

Staggering down the street, Johnathan Wheeler headed towards his destination. Surprisingly he wasn't drunk, even though he had spent the past few months since his son had moved out drinking any alcohol he could get his hands on.

So much so, that his long-suffering landlord had finally evicted him, having the cops come to drag him out on the streets like some homeless dog.

He had tried to call Joey, mumbling half promises into the voicemail about straightening out if his boy could help him one more time, to no avail. He tried again, and again, and again, until the voicemail with filled, then the number was changed, his son clearly wanting nothing to do with him.

Not that the brat was worth much, but at least with him around Johnathan could depend on food and a place to sleep. Now all he had left was his miserable life, and that would soon be gone too. He hurried on, barely even noticing when a homeless person crawled out of a hole in the wall he had been sleeping in and followed him up onto the bridge, halfway across, where he planned his jump.

Johnathan leaned over, watching as the waters below moved slowly, and wondered how it would happen. A coughing noise distracted him, and he turned to see the same man, standing by him staring. Johnathan dug into his pockets, producing several coins and handing them to the man.

"Sorry I don't have more." He mumbled, turning to look back over at the water.

"It's alright, people like me can't complain when someone does them a kindness." The man replied, pocketing the change and sighing. He too looked down at the water, sadness and shame coming over his face.

"You know, my life hasn't always been this way. There was a time, a long time ago, where I had everything a man could want. A beautiful wife, a good job, and the icing on the cake, my son. I remember holding him in the hospital while my wife slept, and I couldn't believe that we had made something so perfect. I stayed up with him that first night, holding him while he slept, counting his toes and fingers over and over again, amazed."

The old man smiled, mimicking holding a baby in his arms and rocking it. Johnathan couldn't help but smile, the memories of holding his own children in the same way coming back to him.

"I was so blessed, and I didn't even realize it. My son started growing up, causing trouble and acting out as kids do. Even during his worse times, I still loved him deeply along with my wife. He was a surly teenager, mouthing off to both of us and slamming his bedroom door when we tried to walk. Our marriage barely survived that time, my wife would spend days in tears and I would want to put my son's head through a wall, not to hurt him but to get him to understand what he was doing to his mother." Here the man's hand flexed, as if swatting at a bug.

"Finally there came college, and after 2 years out of the house being on his own, my son and I started to become friends. My wife and I got closer again, and we started talking about retirement and traveling." He paused, sighing deeply.

"One night, my son was home from college, and I was at working, tying up some loose ends before coming home to my family. One of my co-workers ran into the room. Her daughter was a fire fighter, and she had gotten a call for my house. As I drove home, I could smell the smoke in the air, and I couldn't even pull into my street. My house was completely engulfed, and I watched helplessly as everything I had worked for went up into flames. A hand fell on my shoulder, and I turned. It was my neighbor, pushing me past the barricade towards the cops. One look at their faces and I knew my family was gone." He started to cry, leaning forward to let his tears drip into the water below.

"The next few years were a blur- insurance barely covered the funerals, I ended up losing my job and spent the time bouncing from one well-meaning friend to another, drinking and being miserable. There were times I thought about ending it, but something held me back. I started sleeping on the streets, tired of being a burden on people, and I lost contact with all my friends and extended family. Some of the people I met took me in, told me where to go for food and shelter, and the areas to stay away from. The streets became my life, even though on a night like this, there's nothing I wouldn't give for the taste of my wife's pot roast again." The old man stopped, rubbing his hands together and smiling.

"The memories of my family help keep me warm at night, help keep the thoughts of doubt and despair away. I'm happy where I am, and I intend to do some good before I go myself." He stopped talking then, looking over at Johnathan before staring out at the water, his hands touching the rails right next the blond, obviously not leaving until he thought it was safe.

Johnathan looked down at the water, feelings of shame welling up inside him. He didn't have a story like this man's, his was truly a life wasted staring, drinking away whatever pain and suffering he had been handed and dishing it out on his family.

"I was an all-star baseball player when I was in school. The plan was to go to college, get recruited, and join an MLB team. My ex and I got married after our freshman year- she had gotten an internship at Toyota thanks to a family friend, and we wanted to be set in case I got recruited the following year. I played right field, had an amazing batting average, and was voted team captain my sophomore year. I ended up playing 4 years at college, then got recruited for a minor league team in America. My wife ended up pregnant with our son, and we decided that she should stay here until I figured out where we would live." Johnathan stopped himself, surprised at the feelings of shame that were welling up inside him. It had been a long time since he felt anything but anger towards the woman he had married.

"The next 3 years were hard, but my wife was my rock as I bounced from place to place. She ended up pregnant with our daughter, and Toyota offered to let her transfer to the states after her maternity leave was up. Before she could, I ended up wrecking my shoulder, ending my contract and leaving me with nothing. I moved back home, finally living under the same roof with my pregnant wife and son. I got some money because of my injury, and used my degree to get a job. It was almost like a second honeymoon, and while I was disappointed with my life's direction, I was happy to be with my family again."

Johnathan found he was sinking down to the ground, sitting on the walkway cross-legged, and digging into his coat for a picture of his family. The old man sat with him, pulling out his own worn pictures, the two sharing them quietly for a moment.

"When my daughter turned 2, she was diagnosed with a rare genetic disease that caused problems for her eyesight. My wife and I were both carriers even though we didn't know. We spent the next two years looking for treatment options, praying for a miracle. During that time, I ended up getting laid off my job and sinking into depression. I started drinking, leaving the kids to entertain themselves while my wife worked as many hours as she could. We started fighting, screaming matches that woke the neighbors and brought the cops to our house. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore, and she left, taking my daughter and leaving me with my son, stating that she couldn't stand to look at either of us. I stumbled through jobs the next few years, making sure to keep a roof over our heads, while my son learned how to fight by getting jumped constantly on his way to school. I tried to sober up several times, but the bottle called out to me. When my son got old enough to start mouthing off we started fighting, and there were plenty of times I sent him to school with bruises and cuts, but I didn't care. I thought I raised him to be a good, respectable boy, to mind his elders, but it turns out he only stayed because he had too. He moved out a couple of months ago when he turned 18, and I haven't seen him since."

The old man was silent, looking down at the picture of the Wheeler family during happier times. Johnathan shook his head, surprised at the tears forming in his eyes. "Well, you'd better move on sir. It's getting colder, you don't want to get sick."

"Thomas. My name is Thomas. You never did tell me yours."

"Johnathan." The two men shook hands. Johnathan pulled an envelope out of his jacket, handing it to the man.

"Could you do me one last favor? Could you make sure my boy gets this? He's going to have a hard time, and I just want to reassure him that he's going to ok." Thomas accepted the envelope, looking down at it with a strange face.

"I will, but only if you do something for me. Let me take you somewhere safe tonight, to talk to people who want to help. If you still want to do this, I won't stop you, but let someone give you a reason to live."  
Johnathan stared at him, wanting nothing more than to push the man away and jump, but something stopped him. Instead he nodded, accepting Thomas's help as he got off the ground and followed him.

X

14 months later…

Joey sat on the couch, trying hard to distract his boyfriend to no avail. Seto Kaiba was not a man easily distracted, even when the subject was dumb horror movies. Currently, they were watching a sci-fi marathon, and Kaiba was engrossed in the lame special effects. Joey pouted, not knowing how to get the older man's attention.

Finally, the movie broke for a commercial and Joey pounced, grabbing the tie the brunet was still wearing and using it to pull him close. Mokuba was in bed for the night, and Joey intended on taking full advantage.  
Kissing his boyfriend lightly, Joey grinned as Kaiba started to respond, running his hands under the blond's shirt to stroke his stomach while Joey ran his nails lightly down Kaiba's back. All he needed was another moment, and then- a knock on the door broke them apart, panting lightly.

"Come in." Kaiba said shortly, untangling himself from Joey and sitting back on the couch. Roland popped his head in, nodding to both of the young men before address Joey.

"Your father is here to see you." Joey blinked several times in surprise, turning and looking at Kaiba whose face was turning an interesting shade of red.

"I haven't heard from him since I moved out, are you sure?"

"Joseph, he looks just like you, plus his picture is hanging at the security booth." Roland said, raising an eyebrow.

"You know he is not welcomed here, so why are you bothering us." Kaiba snapped, his hand resting on Joey's hip, right on the scars the blond had from his father hitting him with a glass bottle. Roland crossed the room, handing Joey a silver coin in silence. Joey studied it in silence, looking over at Kaiba who sighed.

"Bring him into the dining room, we will be there in a minute." Roland bowed, backing out of the room.

"What is that pup?"

"It's a 24 hour sobriety chip from AA. We have several around the house from the previous times he's tried to quit drinking, and judging by the fact that it's almost 11pm I'd say he's giving it to me cause he's fallen off the wagon again." Kaiba sighed, standing up and straightening himself out, tucking his shirt back in and fixing his tie and hair.

Joey did the same, lost in though. Kaiba impulsively leaned down, kissing Joey gently on the lips and whispering soft reassurances to him. The two boys walked through the house, entering the dining room where Jonathan was studying pictures on the wall.  
"It looks like you boys are pretty happy together." He commented, turning and looking at his son, a glass in his hand. Joey stared at it, shaking his head.

"It's water Joseph. The guard brought it to me when I started coughing." Jonathan told him, holding out the glass so his son could sniff it. Joey frowned, breathing deeply before looking at Kaiba and nodding.

"I knew you would think I'd been drinking, but it took me a long time to work up my nerve to come here. I… I have something to give you." With that he dug into his pockets, opening his hands to reveal a pile of chips in different colors-gold, red, green, blue, purple and copper. Joey counted the chips, coming up with 11.

"They give you one for every month you're there. I'm starting to run out of room in my pockets for more." Joey stayed silent, still staring at the coins.

"I know I've promised you for years that I would start going to meetings, get my head on straight, and we could be a family. Problem was, I didn't have the right motivation. I never thought you would move out and leave me behind, that I would get so bad that you would refuse to see me. One night, when I was at my absolute lowest, I met a man who ended up saving my life. He brought me to a shelter, then to a meeting the next day. It took me almost 2 months before I finally had my first 24 hours. February 10th, at 1 in the afternoon, I took my last swig of beer and realized I needed to do something. I called my sponsor, and he took me to his home, letting me sober up and giving me my first chip." Johnathan put the chips he was holding on the table, holding his hand out for Joey to give him his 24 hour one.

"I got this the same night one of the veterans was there. He stood up, introduced himself, and looked around at all of us. 'I'm gonna tell you the same thing I do every week. When you start drinking, you don't realize what it is that you leave behind. Everything disappears but you and the devil, whose only purpose is to drag you further down the hole. Every single one of us here has hit the bottom, and that's why we are here.' He sat down as the man next to me started to cry, barely able to stand up as he talked about the years and the time he had wasted drinking. That's when I realized that I really did want to change. I'd lost so much, most of it to my demons, and I would be damned if I lost anymore." He reached into his pocket again, pulling out a newspaper article with Joey and Kaiba on it, talking about a new program through Kaiba Corp.

"I knew that if I was to come to you, it would have to be with more than just an 'I've gone through 2 month's sober, be happy for me.' I'm getting my 1 year chip on Wednesday, and I would mean so much to me if you were there for me when I got it." Joey blinked, shaking his head quickly.

"I can't… I mean…" Jonathan held up his hand, not wanting to stress his son out.

"I understand that it's a hard thing to wrap your head around, and I don't want to push you. I gave a card to your guard with the meeting information on it. I'll leave you to your night, thank you for seeing me." Johnathan smiled at his son before extending his hand to the silent brunet.

"Thank you for taking care of my boy. He deserves so much more than he ever got from me." Kaiba studied the hand, finally grasping onto it and shaking firmly, gesturing to Roland to escort the older man out of the door, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend as the blond collapsed into tears.

X

"Looking good Thomas." One of the shelter workers smiled at the older man, admiring his new haircut.

"Thanks Beth, I've got an important meeting with a friend and I wanted to look my best. Johnathan is getting his 1 year, and he asked me to come to his meeting ." Thomas replied, smiling at her. Beth grinned back, handing him a tray with a meal on it.

"Is he the one you've been telling me about? The man that you found on the bridge?" Thomas nodded, looking down at the soup in satisfaction.

"I still can't believe that I managed to do that. I thought I'd be scared, or that talking to him would trigger something, but I wasn't and I got to help him. Now he's on a good path, getting ready to try to make amends with his son, and I couldn't be happier.  
He's going to help me find my sister next, who knows, maybe I'll have a happy ending too!"

Beth smiled at him, waving him down the line so she could serve the next person. "Good luck Thomas!" She chirped, and he nodded, shuffling off to a table to eat his lunch.

Cleaning up when he was done he checked his watch, noting that he would have to leave soon to make the afternoon meeting. He moved along, moving around the city slowly, nodding to people as he pasted them.

He paused right outside the church, looking over at the foursome who was apprehensively standing and staring at the building. They were bundled up against the cold, but he could clearly see the one man's blond hair poking up around his cap.

"Joseph?" He questioned, causing the group to turn. Sure enough, the young man was a splitting image of his father, and Thomas sighed in relief. Turning towards the young woman, he bowed slightly to her before introducing himself.

"You must be Serenity. I am Thomas, a friend of your father's. Did you come to see him get his chip tonight?" The two young adults looked at each other nervously before nodding.

"He talks about you two non-stop, you don't know how much it means to him that you've come. Please, allow me to escort you." Joey glanced at the taller man before nodding, reaching out to shake Thomas's hand and introduce the Kaiba Brother's. Thomas shook their hands as well, leading the group inside to seats at the back.

Johnathan spotted them immediately, running over to hug both of his children, whispering thanks to them for coming. They sat down as the meeting began, and Johnathan was called up to receive his chip. He stood in front of them, looking around with tears in his eyes.

"This chip symbolizes so much to me. A year of being sober, a year of looking in the mirror and fixing what I saw. I lost almost everything when I drank, and I hurt people who did nothing but care for me. I can never make up for what I did, but I can attempt to better myself every day, and prove to those who believe in me that their faith is not misguided. Thank you."

With that he clutched his chip, walking back towards his children, not bothering to hide the tears of joy that were dripping down his cheeks.


End file.
